Free day today muahaha.

Sometimes it doesn’t feel like I’m schooling. =P This is quite bad.

Out of the randomness, an orchestra friend asked me out for a swim lol…

It was such cheap thrill!!!

We met up at 8.40pm and went Jurong Safra, swam for half an hour and it closed! Lol…

Thereafter we hopped over to “The Centris” – the condo above Jurong Point, and had such self-entertaining fun. Lol…

The pool is hugeee.. :)

I can now swim from one end to the other without stopping! :) My bestie would be so happy to hear that haha.

 

Did a split!!! HAHAHAHA… Almost.

 

I love swimming at night, it’s so therapeutic~ :)

A great Monday after 2 nights of mysterious insomnia! I think my mind was over-stimulated to even sleep.

Haha.

Met up MengChing for lunch today, it’s always good to have a friend to talk to about anything – school, church, God, family, boys, nonsense. Sad that this will be her last semester in school but happy for her that she can finally start a new phase of life.

WORKING ADULT LIFE.

In fact, many of my friends are actually working now. Heh.

 

Went down over for cello lesson after that. My teacher commented that I’ve improved. And that totally made my day!!!

I was really happy inside hahaha. At least 1 week of practice paid off. Otherwise, kill me.

I don’t know what else can I do anymore.

Indeed, music is discipline.

I was secretly telling myself that if I still couldn’t improve, I might consider giving up.

Yaya like what I always say.

-_-

But I never once bear to do so. Hehe.

 

So whenever I feel like giving up, I will think of my teacher, the hours he spent on me and his patience and encouragement. That no matter what, he’s ever so willing to teach me whenever I ask.

I’d think of God and the vision I had of me playing the cello in an orchestra even before I knew how to play.

Never did I know, many years later, God would made that far-fetched dream come to past.

Indeed, if you can see it, you can have it.

 

Now that I’ve got what I wanted…

How can I give up so easily???

It’s too selfish to do so.
Too weak.
Too foolish.
Too cowardly.
Too irresponsible.

It’s an uphill climb. Always have been.

 

Lol…

What an awesome day!!! :)

 

I actually swam ALONE for the first time in my life!!! Bestie is overseas now so I have to be more independent hahaha. Happy that my swimming has improved slightly and that I didn’t drown! :)

 

I think I should be able to pass my assessment test since my assessor didn’t comment much. Was tested on how to give an insulin jab to diabetic patients.

I would think it’s rather painless since the needle is so micro! But I wouldn’t know.

 

Angklung performance went well too I guess! At least there wasn’t any awkward pauses in between. Mistakes were otherwise too insignificant to be noticed. :)

Phew. Happy it’s over!!!!!! :) My first conducting experience! Lol~

Thank God for boldness and strength for the past 3 weeks. In times when I did not know how to go about leading the group, He showed me a way. And when I did not know what to say, He put words into my mouth.

I just knew it wasn’t by my own ability… Cos if it was, I’d have been afraid and doubtful of myself. But I know God was/is with me and nothing is too hard for Him. :’)

 

Here are some picturesss of our project presentation day!

The angklung guys with traditional  Batik attire 

Emma and I after performance!

Happy that we won’t have to get lost in Arts anymore for Angklung practices… *Shrug* Had a very bad experience today.

Outside lecture theatre before our project presentation :)

“Indonesia Indah” = “Beautiful Indonesia” :)

LT 8 :)

The “Saman Dance” where they use mainly hand movements. Usually an opening dance for events. :)

Costumes display! Different regions in Indonesia have different kinda costumes.

The “Kulintang”, something quite similar to the xylophone.

 

Singing + a little dance and drama item. :)

What a fun module with such entertaining projects! :)

I had to rush off before it ended so I didn’t get to try Indon food cooked by one project group boohoo. 

 

Went down over to the Esplanade for a SSO concert. We had complimentary tickets since my conductor is a cellist there.

Saw this on the way.
It was what my cello teacher had just told me.

Him: You have to practise every day.
Me: Every day…??? 0.0
Him: Yes. Every day.

I can’t escape!!! It’s haunting me everywhere I go. Lol~

Missed the first half of it which was a violin concerto, but it was still worth the trip down.

 

After the concert, we went down over to Janelle’s shop again together with our conductor (who just went there ytd)!!!

Everybody loves the deserts there! :)

My dinner! Lemon tart with self-made vanilla ice-cream! Not on the menu yet though~

The flavours are so authentic, it has a rich lemon taste!

GONE.

Like what my conductor said “It’s sinful… To leave anything on the plate.” Because it’s soooo nice! =P

 

Savouring their “7th Heaven” which is creme brulee with a thin coat of melted –> hardened sugar!

It tastes heavenly! I’m not usually a ‘cream’ person, but I love it!

This is named “Dark and Sexy”.

It looks rather “conserved” on the outside…

But when you slice it open slightly…

Its inner beauty oozes out!!!

I guess that’s why it’s described as “sexy” :)

See, even the owner likes it!!! :)

We had a great time together and left at about midnight! Sigh, so I can’t practise my cello AGAIN tonight… This is really bad. Will make it up tmr since I have the day free…

Anyway, the shop will be featured in the papers on Sunday! So watch out for it! :) (It has been attracting a lot of diabetic people too… As a future nurse, I will close one eye. I don’t blame them because it’s simply irresistible LOL… =X)

My favourite “Black Cow” was sold out today! Must try that if you are going!

Address can be found in my previous entry. :)

 

Tonight’s indeed a good celebration to end off the week! :)

It’s Friday!

Have been reaching home late into the night almost every day this week. Days flashed by so quickly, every free time for myself is highly treasured.

One of the reasons why I always stay up late is simply just so I can spend more “alone” time indulging in the serenity of the night.

Where things slow down and stillness sets in.

Cos I know when I wake up the next morning, challenges will greet me and stay with me till the close of the day.

 

It’ll be quite an eventful day later…

Of
1) Swimming
2) Piano and cello prac
3) Skill assessment test
4) Angklung performance
5) SSO concert @ Esplanade

 

Missed practising cello for today cos I reached home past midnight… Sooo, it’s excusable? Haha……

Practising can be really fun actually. :)

Orchestra fellowship after prac @ Taste Matters! Nice cosy place to chill out!

Owned by our dear cellist Janelle and her husband! Lovely shop!!! Superb desserts!!!!!!!!! Totally unconventional.

YES! It’s located @

501 Bukit Timah Road Cluny Court
Singapore, 259760

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1014272752&ref=profile#/pages/Singapore-Singapore/Taste-Matters/114969880809

Do check it out!!! :)

Samuel! I call him “sa mu er”

I love my “Black Cow”!!! Which consists of root beer freeze plus home-made vanilla ice cream plus chocolate! *Slurp*

Victor!

They are soo funny! They taught me a lot too about life and stuff. :)

 

I’m still keeping to my promise of practising the cello every day, I can’t stay stagnant anymore…

It’s a love-hate relationship. It causes much mental torment yet at the same time, you know it’s already a part of you.

It grips you, and it haunts you.

Until you give it your attention, you will not live in peace.

What puzzles you most is that your love for it still persists. You feel like a stubborn girl going against all odds.

Always have been.

 

Just realised that my previous entry was real incoherent and my sentence structure was bad. Ha~

 

I had some nightmares last night… They were really frightening…

Of a huge nest of dying cockroaches and a flock of dying and wounded pigeons at the bottom of Jurong East MRT station.

And someone was trying to kill me somewhere near JJC.

Just when I thought I could finally have a long peaceful sleep away from test and essay~ Haaa……

 

Skipped school today to rejuvenate… Since it was just 1 boring lecture, I might as well use the time for more productive things……

Like practising the cello and piano. :)

Which I did for the entire day!

 

While I was playing the piano, totally focusing and all, a poster on my wall got blown away and dropped onto the floor.

I had such a huge shock, my heart leaped out and I hit my leg against my piano (Awww, so poor thing~) I couldn’t continue playing as my heart was beating so fast! I thought a huge rat/cockroach just ran past.

Now that I think back, it was an extremely silly act of mine. HAHAHA… Might be the residual effect of my nightmare, test and essay.

Talk about being traumatized. Lol.

~~~

 

 

Watching… Longing to play like him someday too.

For the first time, I spent Sunday overnight in SCHOOL studying.

I reckoned I would be late for 8.30am test and my roomie needed company, so might as well!

 

Hostel @ Ridge View Residence.
There is only 1 single-sized bed… So imagine… Heh heh.

We had a good sleep though! :)

@ the freezing study room

We were appalled to see the room CROWDED with people (mostly the PRCs as usual) studying, on a Sunday. 

Dinner @ this cosy cafe in school :)

And then back to cramming.

A student’s life’s like that. 

~~~

When Monday came, I was officially zombified though I had an eventful day ahead.

1) Pharmacology Test
2) Alan Gilbert’s conducting masterclass
3) Injection practice for skill assessment
4) Emanuel Ax’s piano masterclass
5) New York Philharmonic Orchestra concert @ Esplanade

 

Alan Gilbert – new conductor for NYPO

He conducted Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in
Beethoven – Symphony No 7

If you have watched “Nodame Cantabile”, you’ll find it very familiar! :)

Emanuel Ax – World-renown pianist!

He works very closely with Yoyo-ma too.

He was so gentle with his speech and was very fatherly towards the students.  :)

Too bad, he’ll be performing tmr instead of tonight…

But I’m honoured to even be in the same hall as him, seeing and listening to him live. :)

 

 

Tonight’s concert was the most expensive one I’ve been to, my friend kindly sponsored half of it cos it was way beyond my budget!

I didn’t even dare to miss a second of the moment though I was mentally exhausted already.

It was too precious. :)

The beginning of an orchestra performance always brings tears to my eyes, it’s touching to see the glory of God being manifested in such a way.

Audience was good today, there was surprisingly little coughs in between movements and very little distraction too.

Silence was valuable. :)

 

I shall stop here.
My brain is fried and my entry is so fragmented.

 

There are some things I want to tell You alone
Because You love me more than anyone else.

 “祷告”- Stream of Praise

=’’’)

I love listening to Chinese worship songs when studying…

It has a gentle and tender feel to it. Much comfort when I meet with harsh and hostile terminologies.

Such as

Valproate
Carbamazepine
olanzepine
risperidone
amisulpride
Tardive dykinesia
amenorrhea-glaatorrhea
Haloperidol
Trifluoperazine

And so forth…

Are they even words…?

Pharmacologists are the most sadistic people around… *Shrug* At least for students.

Nevertheless, I’ll study the best I can though I think the test method is so ancient. It only tests on how well one can memorise.

Never like mindless stuff like that.

Practise, Aileen… Practise.

Phew. No more sleep-at-5am-trying-to-finish-my-essay nights.

I’m zombified.

It has been quite a struggle going to school recently. Nothing much to look forward to…

~~~

Had cello lesson tonight, after I-lost-count-how-long and it struck me that I’m quite a goner. What can I expect if I don’t practise regularly???

Why is the cello first to be chucked away when life gets busier? Why is it given the least priority?

Time is not an excuse for anything. If you are determined to do something, you will definitely set aside time out of your schedule.

Where is my discipline!

“Without discipline, don’t talk about music.” – my conductor

I will always remember that…

Utterly disappointed in myself. What have I been doing?!

I will not have any lesson until I make the effort to PRACTISE. Otherwise it’s just a waste of my teacher’s time.

He challenged me to practise half an hour everyday… I will do it from tomorrow onwards!

It’s reached a point where I can’t stand my own playing and progress (or rather lack of). And I think, “What more others?”

I should spare them the torture!

It’s either I practise more or I quit cello altogether. =/

~~~

Teacher told me about the love life of composers haha, they were as colourful as their music.

He also played my current most favourite piece… Elgar – Salut D’Amour(Love Greeting)

It’s the sweetest piece ever… Make me tear with joy every time I listen to it… And I have been listening to it every day for the past 4 or 5 days. =P

Elgar wrote that for his wife. :)

Awww how sweeeeeeet…

 

And so I was humming that song while smiling to myself on the way back… And wondered why people were all staring at me? Lol…

The enormity of my responsibilities suddenly (or rather finally) dawned on me today.

Am now paying the penalty for spending excessive time on my piano and neglecting other commitments in life.

~~~

Kinda discouraged by orchestra rehearsal tonight… Guess I was tired out by swimming and school, but no excuse.

In any case, I value the words of my music teachers most because they know my standard best and they don’t raise one of their eyebrows higher than the other.

=/

Sometimes it’s depressing just thinking about it…

~~~

On a lighter note, a stranger offered to to share an umbrella with me in a heavy downpour. :)

What a kind gesture~ :) 

~~~

A friend also “loaned me for free” his 30gb iPod, “which he doesn’t think he will take it back” after 1 year of not using it. He just refused to use the word “GIVE”. Lol…

Whatever it is, I thank God for answering my prayer! It was a prayer I made at the beginning of the year, that someone would give me an iPod!

HAHAHA… I remember smiling as I said that far-fetched prayer.

Why pray for something you know you can achieve, right? :)

About 9 months later, it actually came to past!!! :)

God hears every prayer you made to Him. :)

So be bold to ask of anything!
Keep praying for that dream, if you can see it, you can have it!

Nothing is impossible for God. :)

 

Bach - Invention No. 13 in A minor

This is the piece I’ve been working on for the past 3 weeks… It has certainly taught me how to be more patient lol…

The tempo was inconsistent throughout… = Messy… So try not to listen too carefully muahaha…

Fun and addictive piece to play though! (After dayssss of getting the fingering right…)

Teacher wants to hear it next week, finally some playing after 4 weeks of plain music theory lessons.

Hopefully I am able to improve further…

~~~

Had overnight prayer meeting ytd! From 10pm-3am!!!

How awesome is that!

I was once again brought back to my first love.

And was reminded that I am truly nothing without His grace.

And of those times He was there to lift me when I failed…

 

Can’t imagine a life without God~

It started out like a real normal wake-up-go-school day.

Had Bahasa Indo class, followed by our first Angklung lesson - as part of our project which we will perform next month.

Heh heh. All excited to learn!

 

Never did I know, they would need a conductor...

And never ever did I know, I would be the one!

0.0

It happened too quickly, I didn't have time to think of negative thoughts like "What if I screw up?!"
"What if I am not good enough..."

So I was yet again being thrown into the ocean and I just gotta learn how to swim there and then.

It's amusing how God actually remembers my causal dreams.

You know how we often like to mimic the way conductors conduct while listening to a song? Sometimes even way too exaggerated? LOL...

Like how I'd dance and do the hand actions at the same time, being in my own world and all, conducting to an imaginary orchestra... Lol...

Now it really came to past!!!

0.0

It's a miracle to see your vision being manifested into reality, from an invisible realm into something tangible.

Only God can do that!!!

So continue dreaming and imagining.
(And stop telling me to stop day-dreaming..............)

You'd never know where that will lead you to!!!

There's no limit to what you can imagine, thus no limit to what God can do through you.

Some overdue pics.

F1! =P

  

@ The entrance

We were required to have our bags checked. The person who checked mine was amused by my huge poster-looking card given by my cg and the many books in my bag. Lol…

Whoever brings books to a grand prix?

Beside Lewis Hamilton’s parade car shortly before it was driven away! To think I was so close to where he’d be hehehe.

Orchestra friend who plays the Oboe. Hahaha.

He WON 2 tix to it and brought me along! So blessed :)

@ Esplanade rooftop

View from Esplanade rooftop

And so we stood there watching cars went by, relishing the electrifying atmosphere of wide-eyed spectators and roaring engine sounds (which went BOOOOOOOOOMz).

Well… Not really. =P

 

Hari Raya Visitation @ Imran’s

From Emma’s 

My usual gang in school. =)

We loved the goodies!!! Every one of those was so nice, we gobbled up much. Tsk.

Hari Raya cookies are way better than CNY’s!!!

He has 3 OBESE cats too.
Never a cat-lover though.
They’re too eerie and creepy!

Proceeded to TCC @ Plaza Sing to chill

Friends like that make schooling 10-fold more fun.

 

Keith’s Matrimony @ HortPark

Love this pic!!!

Love her gown too!

Steph and I :)

B&W makes it emooo lol

 

Hangout with Bestie

@ Jurong Safra

We swam for a good 1.5 hours! Since it’s new, the pool was real clean and the water was real neutral and tasteless. There was no trace of Chlorine or whatever-there-can-be inside! :)

Happy to be able to swim better now!!!  

With my bestie being a swimming coach and lifeguard, I’d better know how to lol…

Anyway I’m real proud of her. :)

Sushi buffet! Too big a reward after swimming lol…

It totally rendered our exercise useless. Hahaha we were so full we couldn’t walk or laugh (properly) LOL… That made us wanna laugh even more so lol…

Besties go through thick and thin together. :)

Balloon pets :)

Awww… I don’t wanna sound bimbotic but don’t you find them so CUUUUUTTTTEEEEE lol…  The sight of colourful-bubble-like balloons can really brighten up my day!!! :)

It’s a real happy feeling just staring at those. =)

When creativity is manifested, it makes me real happy. :) That’s why I love Disney and cartooons… :)

The black and blue tubular balloons in the middle kinda spoil the pic though haha. Poor colour combi!!!

 

Went down over to church to print orchestra scores with Samuel. We upgraded the paper used and pasted the multi-sheeted scores into a booklet form – in hope that people can better appreciate and take care of their scores!

My cello skill has been stagnant for the longest time. I can’t let it stay that way while the rest of the orchestra move forward…

Every member plays a part (literally) and I gotta be responsible for mine too.

Planning to learn from my teacher again soon after submitting a long-procrastinated 2000-word case study essay next week.

He’s my one and only cello teacher, having taught me from SCRATCH and being ever so patient and encouraging to this difficult student. Lol…

I think if not for him, I’d have quit playing the cello long ago.

For that I’m forever indebted to him.

~~~

Hate it when my piano is touched without my permission.

I don’t have to see to know that because it isn’t the same as how it is when I last touch it.

For me, I’d normally wash my hands first before playing and I’d place the piano cloth in a neat manner before closing the fallboard. I’ve never placed anything on top of the fallboard either.

It’s always been like that. 9 years. And it’s still my highly prized treasure.

I feel more secure now that it’s in my room!

No more plates, cups, keys, handphones, clothes placed on it. Not to mention, smoke and smell from kitchen and the many windows… HAZE too! The thought of those stuff infiltrating into my piano wood! 0.0

Gotta treat the piano with more RESPECT.

It is my magic carpet,

a gate which opens to my secret garden.

 

Hence, I can stay in my room the whole day and yet travel to so many places, as far as my imagination takes me! :)

Talk about cheap thrills! =P

 

I did something different today… In all randomness, I decided to switch off my light and play “River Flows In You” in the DARK at about midnight.

It was a whole new experience! The piano sounded different too! Awesome.

I seriously have no problem keeping myself entertained lol…

 

Except in school. Argh, that’s another story altogether.

Rigid, uncreative, boring, DEAD.